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Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG)

Freedom of Expression in Tunisia remain under siege

ARTICLE 19 has made a joint appeal to incoming UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to remind the Government of Tunisia of its international obligations. Freedom of expression is severely curtailed in Tunisia and writers, journalists, editors and human rights defenders face ongoing harassment.

Read more and join the appeal to end freedom of expression restrictions in Tunisia

JOINT ACTION

22nd January 2007

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN TUNISIA STILL UNDER SIEGE OVER ONE YEAR AFTER WSIS

Hosting the United Nations-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisia, a country where repression of human rights - in particular freedom of expression - is rampant, remains controversial. Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the UN, stated that the holding of the WSIS in Tunisia offered "a good opportunity for the Government of Tunisia to address various human rights concerns, including those related to freedom of opinion and expression." More than one year after the WSIS was held in Tunisia, the Tunisian government has clearly failed to do this, according to members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG).  Read More

Tunisian human rights defender remains in prison

21 September 2005

The final preparatory committee for the upcoming UN World Summit on Information Technology (WSIS) in Tunis in November, which discusses the future of the Internet, is currently being held in Geneva. Paradoxically, human rights defender and lawyer Mr Mohammed Abbou remains imprisoned in Tunis for exercising his freedom of expression on the very medium up for discussion.

Front Line’s Deputy Director, Andrew Anderson and representatives from other international human rights organisations went to Geneva to raise their objections on the imprisonment of Mr Abbou and the deteriorating human rights situation in Tunisia, particularly the numerous repressive restrictions on the media and the Internet.

Mary Lawlor, Director of Front Line said: "President Zine el-Abidene Ben Ali approved the final statement of the last WSIS that stipulates that freedom of expression is an ‘essential foundation’ of the information society. It should be inconceivable that an international summit on the information society is to be held in a country that shows no respect for freedom of expression. Mohammed Abbou should be released immediately and unconditionally.”  Read More

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